Westchester Medical Center

Healthcare

The underground steam pipe supplying the hospital’s campus was badly leaking and needed to be replaced. The owner did not want to repeat the direct burial method of the existing system which made repairs impossible. The new pipe was to be housed within a tunnel system to allow future maintenance. The high operating temperature of the pipe and multiple buried utilities throughout the site left the design team with little flexibility to accommodate thermal expansion along the long pipe runs. Our office designed the pipe and tunnel anchorage and restraint system that made the work possible. We worked with the mechanical engineers to accurately predict pipe anchorage forces and developed details to anchor the system and safely hold everything together. The fast paced project demanded maximum teamwork and positive attitudes from all players. Our office was a key contributor in bringing the project home on schedule by rapidly responding to new field conditions and coordinating structural design work on a rolling basis.